How do I reset the code on my SentrySafe?

On keypad fire safes: open the door, press P, enter the five-digit factory code from the back of the owner's manual, and when the light flashes green enter your new five-digit code within five seconds. Test it several times before closing the door. Other models: use the manual for your model number.

Where is the SentrySafe factory code?

On the back of the owner's manual. It always opens the safe and cannot be deleted. If the manual is lost, the manufacturer can retrieve the code from the model and serial number for a fee.

Why is my SentrySafe blinking red?

Three blinks and three beeps mean a wrong code. A red light that keeps blinking means three wrong codes in a row: the lock is in delay mode for two minutes. Wait, and do not remove the batteries.

Why won't my SentrySafe open with the correct combination?

On a dial safe, check the direction: SentrySafe reversed it in 2012. On a keypad safe, turn the handle within four seconds of the green light, hold the handle up while entering the code on water-resistant models, and make sure the door key, if there is one, is in the unlocked position.

How much does SentrySafe charge for a lost combination?

In the United States, $29.95 plus tax to retrieve the combination or send two replacement keys, as of October 2026. The fee is not refundable.

Won't open › SentrySafe

Resetting a SentrySafe code

A SentrySafe fire safe with a keypad holds up to three codes: a five-digit factory code that always opens it and cannot be deleted, and up to two codes you choose. With the factory code, a reset takes a minute. Without it, the manufacturer can retrieve it for you. Everything below comes from SentrySafe's own manual and support pages; this site is not connected to SentrySafe or Master Lock.

THE FACTORY CODE ALWAYS OPENS THE SAFE. It is printed on the back of the owner's manual.

First, which lock is on your safe?

What you see	Go to
Keypad with P and C keys, often on a fire and water safe	Reset the code and what the lights mean
Keypad with a round key lock to its left	Key and keypad together
A dial with numbers	The dial direction changed in 2012
You have no code and no key	Getting the code or a key from the maker

Models differ. The steps for keypad fire safes are from SentrySafe's fire-safe owner's manual (P44621); for any other model, download the manual for your exact model number from SentrySafe's manual finder.

Reset the code — you have the factory code

Open the door first Enter the factory code (or your current code) and open the safe. Change codes with the door open, so a mistake cannot lock you out.
Press P, then the factory code Press the P key, then enter the five-digit factory code from the back of the owner's manual.
Enter your new code within five seconds The light flashes green. You then have five seconds to enter your own five-digit code — this becomes the user code.
Test it several times before you close the door SentrySafe's own instruction is to test a code several times before putting valuables inside.

To delete the user code, press P, enter the factory code, then 0 0 0 0 0. The lock gives no signal that the code is gone, so test it. A second code works the same way from the user code: press P twice, enter the user code, then the new five digits. The C key clears a half-typed entry at any time, except during the delay described below.

The code is right, but the safe won't open

The keypad does this	It means	Do this
Red light blinks three times, three beeps	Wrong code	Check the code and re-enter it. If your own code fails, use the factory code, then set your code again.
Red light keeps blinking	Three wrong codes in a row: delay mode	Wait two minutes and start over. Do not take the batteries out — that only makes the shutdown longer.
Red light blinks once, one beep	P pressed out of order, or more than five seconds between keys	Start over.
Red light blinks five times, five beeps	The keypad cannot talk to the lock	Call SentrySafe customer service.
Yellow light is on	Batteries low, or the wrong type	Fit new alkaline batteries.
Green light, but the door stays shut	The handle was not turned in time, the door seal is tight, or the door key is locked	You have four seconds after the green light. On water-resistant safes, hold the handle up while entering the code, then pull it down. On safes with a door key, the key must be in the unlocked position.

If the handle moves but the bolts do not, and you heard a click, the handle's clutch has disengaged to protect the bolts from force. Lift the handle until it clicks back, then enter the code again.

Batteries: the cause of most keypad problems

SentrySafe's support pages put most digital lock problems down to low, dead or non-alkaline batteries. Use new, name-brand alkaline cells with a far-off expiry date; never rechargeables; never mix brands, or old cells with new ones. On many models the battery drawer is on the outside of the keypad, so fresh batteries go in with the door shut.

Some models — those whose numbers begin with FP or FPW, and the SFW123 and SFW205 T and U versions — keep the batteries inside the door and have a battery auxiliary override instead: a 9-volt battery connected under a silicone cap on the side of the lock powers the keypad long enough to enter the code. SentrySafe says it should not be used as the normal way in.

Key and keypad together

On electronic models with a key lock beside the keypad, SentrySafe's instructions are: insert the round key to the left of the keypad and turn it to the right, then enter the five-digit factory code, followed by the program or enter button on models that have one. Wait for the green light or unlock symbol, then pull the handle down.

The door key is not an override On SentrySafe's SF and SFW fire safes the key is a second lock, not a way around the code. Turned to locked (upright), it keeps the door shut even if someone has your code; to open, the key must be in the unlocked position and the code entered as usual.

A dial combination that stopped working

SentrySafe reversed the dialling direction on three-number dial locks in 2012. A combination dialled in the old direction on a newer safe — or the other way round, following an old instruction sheet — will never open it, even with the right numbers.

Step	Safes bought before 2012	Safes bought from 2012
1	Turn the dial to 0	Turn the dial to 0
2	Left, three full turns, stop at the first number	Right, three full turns, stop at the first number
3	Right, stop the second time you reach the second number	Left, stop the second time you reach the second number
4	Left, stop at the third number	Right, stop at the third number
5	Turn the handle, or pull the door if there is none	Turn the handle, or pull the door if there is none

Turning right (clockwise) makes the numbers go down; turning left makes them go up. If the dial will not turn at all on a new safe, the shipping screw on the back of the door may still be in place. More on dialling technique: the dial page.

No code, no key: getting them from the maker

Find the model and serial number On SentrySafe fire safes they are usually inside, on the back of the door, along the hinge, in the lower right corner of the door, or on the bottom lip of the keypad. For a key, the key number also works. SentrySafe's locator shows where to look on each type of safe.
Request the code or keys from the manufacturer In the United States the request goes through Master Lock's replacement site, which handles SentrySafe: a service fee of $29.95 plus tax retrieves the combination or sends two replacement keys. Combinations are emailed; most key orders ship within three business days; nothing is refundable, and SentrySafe may ask you to prove your identity first. Canada and the UK and EU have their own replacement sites, linked below.
Or phone customer support In the United States: 1-800-828-1438, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.

Registering a safe when you buy it makes this easier later, according to SentrySafe's manual, and registration within 30 days of purchase is a condition of its after-fire replacement programme.

If the paperwork is gone and the safe was never registered — an inherited safe, a house that came with one — a technician is the next step. What a technician costs and what to ask ›

What we will not publish Ways to open a SentrySafe without its code, its key or the manufacturer's help. They exist, and they work just as well for someone who is not the owner. The factory-code route above is the one that leaves the safe intact.

Short answers

How do I reset the code on my SentrySafe? On keypad fire safes: open the door, press P, enter the five-digit factory code from the back of the owner's manual, and when the light flashes green enter your new five-digit code within five seconds. Test it several times before closing the door. Other models: use the manual for your model number.
Where is the SentrySafe factory code? On the back of the owner's manual. It always opens the safe and cannot be deleted. If the manual is lost, the manufacturer can retrieve the code from the model and serial number for a fee.
Why is my SentrySafe blinking red? Three blinks and three beeps mean a wrong code. A red light that keeps blinking means three wrong codes in a row: the lock is in delay mode for two minutes. Wait, and do not remove the batteries.
Why won't my SentrySafe open with the correct combination? On a dial safe, check the direction: SentrySafe reversed it in 2012. On a keypad safe, turn the handle within four seconds of the green light, hold the handle up while entering the code on water-resistant models, and make sure the door key, if there is one, is in the unlocked position.
How much does SentrySafe charge for a lost combination? In the United States, $29.95 plus tax to retrieve the combination or send two replacement keys, as of October 2026. The fee is not refundable.

Keypad problems on any safe ELECTRONIC No combination at all LOST CODE What a technician costs NEXT STEP Identify your lock LIBRARY

Where this comes from

Every source above was read on 18 Oct 2026. SentrySafe is a trade mark of its owner, named here only to identify its products. If one of these sources changes, the line that rests on it is corrected — see method.